[squidz]

— STAGHEART —

very large, muscular, & scarred light brown tabby tom with stark blue eyes and a torn ear; killer aptitude t3 | just a scratch | dreamwalker

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 59 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, heart o’ gold; loyal to a fault ]

—

That was more than he'd thought. Good... Stagheart was prepared to start his usual complaint of "Ain't you gotta mentor?" as he often did whenever the young ones of the Clan waddled up to him for lessons. Despite his grumbles, part of the senior warrior would always find enjoyment in training the youth; it was good to raise up well-rounded warriors, and he was happy to do his part. Not every cat had moons and moons of wisdom and experience like he, and he was happy to pass it along.

Just don't mind the complaining.

Thankfully for Midnightpaw, however, there was no such complaining on this day. Perhaps it was the pleasant weather or the 'paw just catching Stagheart at a good time. He heard the apprentice following him as they approached the river, the sound getting louder while they emerged from the trees and onto the bank.

"Hm, alright... then we'll need to getcha in some deeper water then, eh?" Stagheart mused, eyeing the river. In newleaf, it tended to rush more because of all the snow and frost melts from leaf-bare; they'd have to go further down, where the water started to calm down. He'd look for that sweet spot where the river was deep enough to swim, and the current still provided a bit of a challenge, but not one that would sweep young Midnightpaw downstream. I don't need another repeat of what happened to Willowtail when she was trainin'...

"How 'bout... here." The large tabby tom had walked down the bank until they'd reach a place a bit farther down. The rushing torrent was calmer here, but the current still strong enough to tug at his legs as he stepped in. Stagheart waded for a moment, getting a feel for the water's depth and strength before he turned back to Midnightpaw who'd be waiting at the bank. "Current ain't too strong right here, but yer still gonna have to work. That'll be good, though, 'cause ya need to get used to swimming 'cross it. The water ain't ever gonna make it easy for ya, so best to get used to it now."

Blinking, Stagheart thought for a moment on where best to begin. If Midnightpaw had shallow water practice, he knew how to at least stand and maintain balance in a river, right? He should be tested on that, first; it was the vital first step.

"Alright, come on in, but stay on the shallow part before it drops off. Like I said, the current here is stronger than where ya probably practiced shallow swimmin'. So take a moment to get used to feelin' it, 'n try to keep balance. I'll be right here to catch ya," he added, giving the apprentice a nod. Especially after his last 'paw had been swept halfway down the river, Stagheart was evermore mindful of standing as a blockade between any young cat and going under. It helped that he had a large, broad form to accomplish such goals.

[ @zeroisnthere ]